BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - UAB has made it to the NCAA Softball Tournament in each of the past four seasons, and made history this year with the advancement to this weekend's Super Regional at Florida.

What else has UAB done in the last four seasons? Played in its own on-campus facility.

The UAB Softball Field opened in 2010, meaning this year's four-year seniors would have played their entire career on this field. The program spent the first 10 years playing at nearby George Ward Park, which was run down and unsafe.

Now, at any hour of the day or night, a UAB player can go to the Don and Alicia Huey covered state-of-the-art facility to refine their game.

The UAB Softball Field sits more than 300, and more bleachers can be added for bigger games. UAB head coach Marla Townsend described the dugouts as "some of the nicest in the country.

"Obviously when they did the field, they did it right," Townsend said. "Right now inside the fence, we've got everything we need. It gives the girls a lot of pride. It helps recruiting. It's just a safe environment to be in."

Along with the seating, there's also a big, beautiful scoreboard in right field. Townsend mentioned that plans later on could add more seats and a fieldhouse to share with the UAB baseball team.

"The fact that inside the field is state of the art, that's everything that we worry about right now," Townsend said.

But the commitment to softball has paid off. In the fourth year of being in the on-campus facility, the program has reached new heights, winning 40 games and a Conference USA regular season title for the first time. The Super Regional at No. 2 Florida begins Saturday at noon CT on ESPNU and continues on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

UAB recruited junior pitcher Leigh Streetman early in her high school career at nearby Hueytown. She saw plenty of games at George Ward Park, and early on just saw blueprints for the new facility. Streetman, one of the state's top pitchers, inked with UAB the fall before the new field opened.

In fact, the recruiting class in the fall of 2009 for UAB softball was a good one. It included Streetman, another ace pitcher in Lannah Campbell, top power hitter Kristen McGrath and her sister, starting first baseman Megan McGrath. All four played key roles in UAB's regional win at Louisville last weekend.

Since then, it's only gotten better, though Townsend said she was still able to recruit top athletes to UAB who had a strong academic focus when UAB played at George Ward Park.

"It was a huge part," Streetman said. "Having an on-campus facility has helped us tremendously bringing in from out of state and local kids. It's been a huge asset to our program."